Page 132 of I'm Gonna Get You Back
Afterward, we collapse in a heap, his head resting on my chest, both our bodies slick with sweat. I’ve never felt so happy. So right.
There’s a loud bang outside the solarium that forces me to remember that despite the privacy of this space, we are at the lake and probably shouldn’t linger.
“What was that?” I murmur.
“I don’t care,” he answers sleepily.
But there’s another crash outside and two low voices laughing. We exchange a confused look, and he reluctantly climbs off of me. Once we’re dressed, Reid looks deliciously disheveled, and I do my best to help him get himself together as he tucks his shirt back in.
My fingers linger in the tangles of his hair when he turns and kisses my wrist.
“Did I tell you enough how beautiful you are?” he asks softly.
Heat blooms across my skin. “Yes. That’s one of themanythings you do very well.”
“Good,” he says, pleased.
We hover, looking at each other a long moment.
“Are you really okay with leaving Stanford?” I ask.
I want so badly to tell him that I think taking time off is exactly what he needs, but I don’t because I’m not sure the feeling is entirely selfless. The thought of him coming home makes me giddy. For him, yes.
But also for us.
“It’s… uncomfortable. But I know it’s the right move for me,” he says with unwavering conviction.
It makes me smile. I love seeing his confidence returning.
When we get outside to investigate the noise, the culprits are wrapped in a kiss so intense I immediately spin on my heels to look away.
Reid’s eyes fly wide. “Oh god.”
They separate long enough to notice us, which seems to be a feat in and of itself.
“Heeeeey,” Kenji says through a lopsided grin. He puts an awkward hand on his hip. “We were, uh, looking for you.”
Mitchell’s eyes are half-lidded, a dark flush covering his entire face.
“Quite the effective search party,” Reid deadpans through a smirk.
“We found you, didn’t we?” Mitchell says, his voice having taken on a dreamlike quality.
He looks between me and Reid, while I look between him and Kenji, then our gazes collide again as we both smile wide with understanding.
“Exceptwefoundyou,” Reid points out. “Though I really wish we hadn’t.” He scrubs at his eyes.
“We were literally doing the same thing,” I remind him in a low voice.
He slings an arm around my shoulders and presses a kiss to my temple. “Yeah, well, I likedthat.”
I elbow him as I flush all over again.
“Now you know what it was like to go literallyanywherein Woodhurst last year,” Kenji says.
“Seriously,” Mitchell agrees. “Need we remind you two of the hot springs?”
My cheeks flame hotter, and I throw both my hands up. “Okay, let’s just drop it.”
